valley



J. N. VALLEY. Step-Ladder.

No. 226,943. Patented April 27,1880.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN N. VALLEY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

STEP-LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 226,943, dated April 27, 1880.

Application filed November 14, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN N. VALLEY, of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and usefullmprovement in Step-Ladders, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, strong, and adjustable device for connecting and bracing together in a folding step-ladder the hinged supporting-leg and the step-ladder proper in the several positions of closed, wholly open, and partly open.

The invention consists in the combination of a notched brace, hinged at one end to the swinging support of a folding step-ladder and working with its other end in a guide-staple secured diagonally across the end bars of the steps, with a headed spiral spring arranged to slide upon the said staple and to bear against the said brace to cause the latter to engage with its notches the leg of the staple, as will be hereinafter described.

I11 the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of a stepladder provided with my present improvement and in position of being open. Fig. 2 is a partial sectional elevation of the same when closed. Fig. 3 is a detail cross-section of the same, taken on the line or a: of Fig. .1.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

A is the step-ladder proper, consisting of the steps a and their end bars, a a the latter being the bars or board to which the ends of the steps are fastened.

B is the swinging support or leg, hinged at b in any suitable manner to the step-ladder proper, A, so that it may be folded uponthe latter, as in Fig. 2, or unfolded to support it, as in Fig. 1.

G is the brace, one of which is arranged at each side of the ladder, on the inside of the bars a a and of the side bars, I), of the support B, to which latter bar, Z2, it is hinged or pivoted at one end at 0, while the other end goes through a staple, D, secured by short legs (1 d through and to the bars a a respectively. The body or main portion of the staple D is arranged diagonally across the inside of the bars a a as seen in the drawings, and the brace O is inserted between it and the said bars, so as to be guided and slid between said staple and bars when the ladder is being folded or unfolded.

The brace (J is provided with notches c c 0 cut in its lower edge. to engage with the lower leg, d, of the staple D, and, when so engaged, to keep the brace locked, thus retaining the swinging support B at the adjusted distance apart from the step-ladder proper, A.

To prevent the brace G from accidentally being raised in position to bring the notch off from the stop d, and to insure its never being slid involuntarily with its notches past the stop d. without engaging with the latter, I provide upon the main part of the staple D a spiral spring, E, headed by a sliding washer or other suitable head, 6, and arranged to press by its expansive force the said head 0 against the upper edge of the brace 0, thus keeping the lower edge in contact with the stop 01.

It will be seen that when the ladder is fully unfolded in position for ordinary use the brace O is looked upon the stop d by the notch 0, as in Fig. 1; when folded it is locked by the notch 0 as in Fig.2; and when desired to be temporarily adjusted in some position intermediate to those just above mentioned, this is effected by the use of one or more notches, 0 cut in the lower edge of the brace 0, between the notches c and 0 It will further be seen that by placing the staple D diagonally the brace 0 may be straight, as shown in the drawings, without protruding in front of the ladder when the latter is locked in the position folded, as in Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patcut-- The combination of the notched brace O, hinged at one end to the swinging support B, and working with its other end in the guidestaple D, secured diagonally across the end bars, a 40*, of the steps a, with the headed spiral spring E, arranged to slide upon the guidestaple D and to press upon the said brace O, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN N. VALLEY.

Witnesses:

A. W. ALMQVIST, (J. SEnewIcK. 

